Every Wednesday after the school day ends, the Valley Community Church distributes free snacks for students to enjoy. Located on Del Valle Parkway, the church is a convenient spot for all things after school. It is appreciated by many hungry high school students.
The Valley Community Church (VCC), located in Amador’s backyard, has been a community hub in Pleasanton for years, bringing families and friends together for years. Though a long line of students line up in front of a humble foldable table, the wait is worth it.
“It’s refreshing to have it after a long day of work, and it’s a nice place to socialize. Students have a chance to snack and chat, with only the price of a small walk,” said Evelyn Roe (‘27).
The church’s snack distribution, lovingly called “snack attack”, has been operating for about 13 years. Originally, the distribution involved staff aggressively throwing candy at students passing by after school.
“What we started doing is coming up with snacks that force students to slow down. We wanted to create a slowness to [the after-school process], like a relaxing, take a minute to breathe a moment,” said student ministry pastor at VCC Jake Lemmer.
In addition, along with student ministry associate Fiona McHugh, the two pointed out how rushed the school-home transition was.
“We noticed that we weren’t getting to talk or get to know anyone. So we wanted to help [students] slow down and be able to breathe before going into whatever’s next for them,” said Hugh.
The mission of the VCC is not limited to the church. Inkling’s Coffee and Tea, is the product of VCC aspirations for spreading kindness. The VCC’s goals for their distributions and cafes echo the passion the church has for building community. Simply, they wish to do something kind and recognize that not everybody will walk into a church.
“Sometimes churches and these activities can have an agenda or strings attached to get people to come to the church. Also, we love doing this since it’s just a nice, kind thing to do,” said Lemmer.
